Thirty-six icons of the rock and Heavy Metal world collide as Nuclear Messiah to provide an all-star concept release. On paper, this Black Flame album should be magnificent. But whilst at times it does soar, at other times it creaks like the knees of many of the elderly participants.
Nuclear Messiah – Black Flame
Release Date: 24 April 2026
Words: Paul Hutchings
Produced by Cleopatra founder Brian Perera, Derek Hughes, and Jürgen Engler, with A&R direction by long-term Cleopatra Records consultant John Lappen, Nuclear Messiah is built around the guitar work of former Megadeth axeman Chris Poland, who shines throughout this album with some spectacular lead work.
It contrasts with the at times rather pedestrian and predictable Heavy Metal writing that places this album firmly in 1985. And whilst Black Flame is blatantly a celebration rather than anything innovative or modern, it really screams ‘middle-aged man reliving his youth’ as its target audience.
Let’s deal with the covers first because they are a right collection of curiosities. Uriah Heep’s Look At Yourself sees a stellar line-up which bizarrely includes Mick Box alongside Poland, Lance Lopez, Bob Daisley, Derek Sherinian and the pipes of Sebastian Bach.
The song has guts, is faithful to the original, with plenty of Box’s sweet guitar work alongside Poland and Derek Sherinian’s rich keyboards, which are essential to any Heep song. But it cannot beat the 1971 original, written and sung by the legendary Ken Hensley, even though I will give Bach credit for a decent performance.
Who else but the magnificent Arthur Brown could deliver a cover of Lucifer’s Friend? The version of Ride The Sky is possibly the best track on the album as the God Of Hellfire hams it up as he is joined by Alan Davey on bass and Vinny Appice on drums, whilst Poland, who is at the helm of the whole project, makes his mark with some screaming guitar work.
For Mad Men Only is an even deeper cut. A track from the UK/Canadian trio May Blitz’s second album, The 2nd Of May, released in 1971, is a new one for me, and it is an interesting version which sees Joe Lynn Turner give it a good go.
It is certainly better than the version of Holocaust’s Death Or Glory, which sees the vocal ‘talents’ of Thor, whose solo recordings over the years are consistently awful. He is saved here by the musicians around him, for his vocals remain a real struggle.
Having a narrative by none other than William Shatner over a guitar piece by Poland as your introduction is a bold move, and with Shatner’s delivery every bit as over the top as you would anticipate, as it sets the scene.
The rest of the release is littered with original recordings apparently composed by the line-ups who perform them. Does it allow the combined all-stars to show their worth?
Well, yes, because it’s an okay listen.
Rich keys from the likes of Rick Wakeman and Don Airey add texture and layers, the drumming includes Chris Adler, Shawn Drover and the Appice brothers are powerful and solid, whilst the vocalists are a varied bunch.
I have never been a huge fan of ‘Ripper’ Owens, and his performance on the title track is as expected. Hugely over the top, atop a rather plodding off-the-shelf metal track. Ronnie Romero phones it in on three songs, all from the Heavy Metal by numbers book, whilst Andrew Freeman can do this kind of stuff in his sleep.
There is nothing wrong with any of the songs, but they are just generic, with nothing to get really excited about, despite the personnel involved.
I do, however, quite like album closer Electric Burn, which sees former Metal Church singer Marc Lopes and BÖC legend Joe Bouchard get involved in a thumping high-energy finale.
The question I always ask with an album like this is whether I would part with cash to purchase it. So, whilst the album is certainly enjoyable in parts, and I will give it credit that I was tapping the foot along at times, I would be unlikely to promote this to an album on the ‘need to purchase’ list.
Poland proclaims, “This record has so many Metal icons playing on it. It’s really a must for any Metalhead’s record collection.”
I am afraid I must disagree.
Nuclear Messiah release Black Flame on 24 April 2026 via Cleopatra Records. Digital pre-orders are available from here. CD/Vinyl can be ordered from here.
